We’ve learned a lot over the years from dinosaur fossils: what they looked like, how they moved, and even what diseases they may have had. Recently, what seemed like an insignificant blip on an X-ray has revealed an exciting new facet of dino physiology.
A Canadian research team uncovered preserved blood vessel structures inside the rib of Scotty, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex excavated in Saskatchewan during the 1990s. This discovery, recently published in Scientific Reports, offers new insights into dinosaur biology — specifically, how these prehistoric giants may have healed after injuries.
“I remember showing my supervisors, Dr. Barbi and Dr. McKellar, a strange structure inside a scan of the rib that I originally didn’t give much thought to,” said senior author Jerit L. Mitchell, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics at the University of Regina, in a press release. “They were quick to point out that what ...
